Dorothy Must Die: A Review

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige was such a pleasant surprise. I’m not a die hard Wizard of Oz fan by any means, so I was skeptical about whether or not I’d dig this novel. After having read the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, I found Dorothy Must Die to be a modern, fun retelling. It was similar to Cinder as a retelling of Cinderella… the main ideas are there, but it feels like an entirely different story.

Amy Gumm lives in a trailer on the outskirts of town. She could not be more of an outsider in her town. The only reason anyone, especially the school heartthrob, pays attention to her is because they want to copy her homework. After a fight with the heartthrob’s girlfriend, Amy finds herself suspended… much to the chagrine of her druggie mom. A tornado is coming and her mom leaves to head to the local bar/watering hole.

Needless to say, something odd happens and the trailer is lifted up into the tornado and dropped in none other than OZ! Only this isn’t Dorothy’s Oz… or rather, it IS Dorothy’s Oz… the Oz that Dorothy has ruined and taken complete control over. Amy is Oz’s only hope… how will she save them all from Dorothy’s tyrannical reign?

EXCELLENT story. Amy is your every-girl. She’s normal, plain, doesn’t know what she could do to possible help free Oz from Dorothy. The characters are just plain interesting. I loved the flying monkeys and their backstory… and the story of the scarecrow fits in perfectly with the original Frank Baum story and it’s wicked turns. If you like young adult ANYTHING, this novel is for you! Whimsical in the darkest of ways!